GOP Hits Schumer, Gillibrand On Keystone

New York State GOP chairman Ed Cox sent out a statement this morning knocking New York senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer for their vote to block an amendment which would advance the Keystone XL pipeline.

“The Keystone XL Pipeline is a huge job creating construction project that will substitute oil from our reliable ally Canada for oil from the volatile Middle Eastern region and in some cases countries hostile to America’s vital interests,” Mr. Cox said in a statement.

In January, President Barack Obama denied a permit for the project and the vote comes as gas and energy prices become more and more important in the presidential campaign. The push by the GOP dovetails with similar state-led effort to permit hydraulic fracturing in areas upstate, which Republicans say would boost local economies and provide a cheap source of natural gas, but which Democrats fear will have baleful environmental effects.